Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of LoveElizabeth Johnson, 2014Presents perspectives that love of the natural world is an intrinsic element of faith in God and that far from being an add-on, ecological care is at the center of moral life.

Mere environmentalism : a biblical perspective on humans and the natural world
Steven F. Hayward American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 2011.
Provides a thorough examination of the philosophical presuppositions underlying today’s environmentalist movement and the history of policies intended to alleviate environmental challenges such as overpopulation and global warming. Relying on Scripture to understand God’s created order, the author offers an insightful reflection on the relationship between humans and the natural world.

In the spring of 2014 George Fox University libraries participated in LibQUAL, a survey that measures patron perceptions of library service. The survey, which was administered through the Association of Research Libraries, has been used at over 1,000 libraries since 2000. About 600 George Fox students, faculty, and staff completed the survey.

Survey Design

Respondents were asked to rank statements about the level of Affect of Services (staff and services), Information Control (print and online resources, and ease of access), and Library as Place (facility and space) on a scale of 1 to 9.

Each statement was ranked for minimum acceptable level, desired level, and perceived level. Perceived levels that fell between the minimum and desired level are considered within the “zone of tolerance.” Perceived levels falling below the minimum level of acceptability are considered outside the zone of tolerance, and thus problem areas.

Respondents were also asked to indicate frequency of library use, overall satisfaction, and literacy outcomes. In addition, comments were possible through a comments box.Continue reading →

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Friday afternoons between Jan. 16 and April 24, 2015 the public is invited to come browse through the pages of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible – Vol. 6, The Gospels and Acts. Hear Paul Anderson, professor of … Continue reading →

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A great time was had by all at Wassail this year! It was wonderful to have so many friends and colleagues stop by to enjoy good food and good conversation.

Pandemics. The word conjures up images of horrific diseases sweeping the globe and killing everyone in their path. But such highly lethal illnesses almost never create pandemics. The reality is deadly serious but far more subtle.

In Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Peter Doherty, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells, offers an essential guide to one of the truly life-or-death issues of our age. In concise, question-and-answer format, he explains the causes of pandemics, how they can be counteracted with vaccines and drugs, and how we can better prepare for them in the future. Doherty notes that the term “pandemic” refers not to a disease’s severity but to its ability to spread rapidly over a wide geographical area. Extremely lethal pathogens are usually quickly identified and confined. Nevertheless, the rise of high-speed transportation networks and the globalization of trade and travel have radically accelerated the spread of diseases. A traveler from Africa arrived in New York in 1999 carrying the West Nile virus; one mosquito bite later, it was loose in the ecosystem. Doherty explains how the main threat of a pandemic comes from respiratory viruses, such as influenza and SARS, which disseminate with incredible speed through air travel. The climate disruptions of global warming, rising population density, and growing antibiotic resistance all complicate efforts to control pandemics. But Doherty stresses that pandemics can be fought effectively. Often simple health practices, especially in hospitals, can help enormously. And research into the animal reservoirs of pathogens, from SARS in bats to HIV in chimpanzees, show promise for our prevention efforts.

Calm, clear, and authoritative, Peter Doherty’s Pandemics is one of the most critically important additions to the What Everyone Needs to Know® series.

In 2012, the ERIC database, a premier carrier of education-related scholarship, was forced to dramatically limit access to the full text of their ERIC Documents collection. This situation has recently improved — read below.

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From http://eric.ed.gov/?note

PDF Restoration Process Update: 94% of documents are now available

Have you noticed fewer “PDF Pending” indicators in ERIC the last few weeks? That is because Phase I of the PDF restoration project is now complete. 94% of the previously removed documents are now available online!

We want to thank you for your patience over the past two years. We have received many questions about the process. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions:

Why were documents removed from ERIC?

In August of 2012 we discovered that personally identifiable information appeared in some ERIC documents. Due to new search technologies, this information was easily discoverable for the first time. We temporarily removed access to all full-text documents due to the security concerns. Over the past two years we have been restoring documents to the collection on a rolling basis.

How big of a problem was it? Did many documents contain this type of information?

There are 670 documents that have are have sensitive information that we cannot release. We have removed the “PDF Pending” indicator and the “Download Full Text” links from these records, but the citations remain in the collection. We are considering how we can make these documents available in a way that protects individual’s privacy in the future.What documents are now available online?

Approximately 94% of the PDFs that ERIC has permission to display are now available. This includes all peer-reviewed materials, documents published after 2004, and PDFs that were scanned electronically for sensitive information.

Chapter 76

Man at his birth is supple and weak;
at his death, firm and strong.
(So it is with) all things.
Trees and plants, in their early growth,
are soft and brittle;
at their death, dry and withered.
Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death;
softness and weakness, the concomitants of life.

Hence he who (relies on) the strength of his forces does not conquer; and a tree which is strong will fill the out-stretched arms, (and thereby invites the feller.)

Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above.

Chapter 64

The tree which fills the arms
grew from the tiniest sprout;
the tower of nine stories rose
from a (small) heap of earth; the journey
of a thousand miles commenced with a single step.

Chapter 6

The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain.

Chapter 33

He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is
intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes
himself is mighty. He who is satisfied with his lot is rich; he who
goes on acting with energy has a (firm) will.

Chapter 44

Or fame or life,
Which do you hold more dear?
Or life or wealth,
To which would you adhere?
Keep life and lose those other things;
Keep them and lose your life:–which brings
Sorrow and pain more near?

Chapter 52

The perception of what is small is

the secret of clear-sightedness; the guarding of what is soft and tender is the secret of strength.

Who uses well his light,
Reverting to its (source so) bright,
Will from his body ward all blight,
And hides the unchanging from men’s sight.

Thus we may see,
Who cleaves to fame
Rejects what is more great;
Who loves large stores
Gives up the richer state.

Who is content
Needs fear no shame.
Who knows to stop
Incurs no blame.
From danger free
Long live shall he.

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